A little Macbeth-related writing

In class on Monday and Tuesday, you generated lists of virtues. Read Act IV, sc. iii of Macbeth and consider the virtues ("king-becoming graces") that Malcolm lists in ll. 107-110. Write a response (approximately a page or two): What do you think of his list? What points might Shakespeare want to make with this list? Due on April 24/25.

Macbeth questions

As I said in class, answer these questions (which mostly require you to speculate, not summarize or analyze) before you read the first two scenes of Act II. In case you lost the handout, the questions are:

Some Macbeth Questions

1. What is the plan for killing Duncan?

2. Why might this plan succeed?

3. Why might this plan fail?

4. For the most part, the plan is Lady Macbeth’s? Why is it largely her plan and not her husband’s plan?

Writing Assignments for The Odyssey

1. For March 12/13, read “The Geography of The Odyssey.” The link is available at the website. Write a response of one to two double-spaced pages. What is your opinion of the value of the epic’s historical and geographical basis? How does the discussion in this essay shape your own understanding of whether the tale is geographically and historically reliable? How might we benefit from knowing what’s accurate about the story? Why are people so interested to discover the factual origins of The Odyssey?

2. For March 18/19, write a creative piece of at least 500 words. You have two options for this story:

          a. Create a “lost tale” of the Odyssey, something else that happened to Odysseus and his crew along the way. This could even happen after the events of the epic.

          b. Tell a story of yourself on a journey (a trip to the mall; a drive to a relative’s house), but give it Greek epic elements: gods, fate, monsters.

For either version of assignment #2, I’m not expecting anyone to write in iambic pentameter (though you can try), but I do want you to break the story into lines of approximately 10 syllables.

Odd-day Classes on Feb. 4

Hey, folks. See the blog post below about the assignment the even-day students had for books 12 and 13? Well, that assignment has finally come 'round for you. Let me know if you have any questions. Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt.! Due Feb. 6.

Even-day Class

You know who you are! You're the students who I saw on Thursday but who won't have class again until Wednesday!

In case you lost you assignment sheet or missed class, here's the homework for Wednesday (typed, double spaced, carefully checked):

In Homer's Odyssey, read and annotate Books 12 and 13. Also, in a well-developed paragraph or two, answer the following question. Be sure to use evidence (with line numbers) to support your points:

Books 12 and 13 involves several lies and plans to tell lies. In these situations, what is the advantage of lying? Would it have been better to be honest in any of those situations? As you develop your response, be sure to identify who is lying and when.

Always check the calendar

Be sure to always check the calendar. Odd day students, note that I'm expanding your assignment despite the day off. (We have to continue moving on The Odyssey . . . can't stay stuck on any one island for too long!)

Essay on Fahrenheit 451

See the links on the right hand side of the page. For your next class (Friday, Monday), you will hand in the thesis paragraph and topic sentences for each body paragraph. For the following class (Tuesday, Wednesday), the full five-paragraph essay is due.

There's a lot of flexibility on the subject of your paper, but read carefully the assignment sheet. Use the sheet on creating a thesis to remind yourself about how to construct a workable thesis.